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Without a plan for where you want your career to go, a timeline that you hope to achieve and clear directions for how to get there, you’re pretty much leaving your future up to chance. Life’s challenges often interrupt your career development, but if you have a written plan, you’re more likely to stay on track. Plans don’t have to be irrevocable -- they can always be altered -- but they do provide valuable guidance that will help you make decisions and manage your time and investments.

1. Determine your goals first. Set short-term goals that you’d like to achieve in about three years and longer, 10-year goals. Ideally, you should be able to chart your hoped-for career path through retirement. Your plan flows based on the requirements you need to complete to fulfill these objectives.

2. Choose goals that are measurable so that you’ll know when you’ve reached them. Each piece of your development plan should be achievable through direct action on your part and not dependent on the behavior of other people or the economy. Set realistic completion dates for reaching each goal.

3. Identify the level of education, certification or experience you need to reach your short-term goals and proceed to set timelines for their completion to keep you on track. Choose those initial training options that transfer or relate to your long-term goals. Figure out which jobs will provide you with the opportunities and experience you need to accomplish your goals.

4. Write down specific steps you need to take to complete each requirement. Use a calendar to schedule those tasks and activities that you need to accomplish. For example, set aside a date to update your resume or complete a scholarship application. Create specific times in your week to research job opportunities or attend networking functions.

Things Needed

Calendar

Tip

Talk about your plans with mentors and other people in your life who know you well. They often can provide valuable input that can help you clarify your career goals or give you names of contacts that can help you reach various milestones.

Warning

Don’t write a career plan and leave it in a drawer. Revisit the plan regularly to determine how close you are to achieving your goals and where you may need to tweak your plans. Evaluate your progress and identify areas of strength and weakness that could lead to small or big changes in your ultimate goals that will have an equally profound effect on your subsequent plans. If you wanted to ultimately become a doctor, for example, but realize your math and science skills are not sufficient, you may change career path altogether. If your original goal was to become a senior manager, but you excel at sales, you may change your goals -- and your plans -- to better take advantage of your inherent skills.

About the Author

Linda Ray is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years reporting experience. She's covered business for newspapers and magazines, including the "Greenville News," "Success Magazine" and "American City Business Journals." Ray holds a journalism degree and teaches writing, career development and an FDIC course called "Money Smart."